Monday, June 23, 2008

Get Smart and a Brownie Recipe

Heat wave kept us inside much of the weekend. It was 112 at our place Saturday. Not much cooler Fri or Sun. That sent us in search of free A/C. Ended up watching a couple films, including the new "Get Smart." I loved that TV show growing up and really looked forward to seeing this bit of farce. The Son & Heir has been working at a local Megaplex -- that means we can see flix as his guest and get the free A/C for a couple hours.

Get Smart was plenty of fun but I can't recommend it wholeheartedly. Seemed like too much unnecessary innuendo & coarse language to recommend broadly to friends and family. On the other hand, it was pretty mild even by today's TV standards. To my thinking, the characters, actors and strength of the farce are strong enough to stand on it's own. Ah well, I guess moviemakers feel obligated to "spice it up." Some folks would say, "Eat the chicken. Leave the bones." It's up to you. I'm just saying in case you're particularly sensitive.(git yer booger hook off the bang switch Ann! Remember Rule 3!)

Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway are two of my favorites in the current crop of comedic actors. They could hold their own with the great ones back in the day. Too bad, some of the gags and lines they were given to exchange (while probably standard TV primetime type fare nowadays) just seemed beneath their level of acting. As I said, unneccessary.

Get Smart? Nice try but "Missed it by THAT much!"

The story below came to mind after being exposed to the best popular culture has to offer this weekend...

A father of some teenage children had the family rule that they could not attend PG-13, R or X rated movies. His three teens wanted to see a particular popular movie that was playing at local theaters. It was rated PG-13. The teens interviewed friends and even some members of their family's church to find out what was offensive in the movie. The teens made a list of pros and cons about the movie to use to convince their dad that they should be allowed to see it.

The cons were:

*It contained ONLY 3 swear words!

*The ONLY violence was a building exploding (and you see that on TV all the time they said), *You actually did not 'see' the couple in the movie having sex; it was just implied sex, off camera.

The pros were:

*It was a popular movie, (a blockbuster).

*Everyone was seeing it.

*If the teens saw the movie then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it.

*The movie contained a good story and plot.

*It had some great adventure and suspense in it.

*There were some fantastic special effects in this movie.

*The movie's stars were some of the most talented actors in Hollywood.

*It probably would be nominated for several awards.

*Many members of their Christian church, including the pastor, had seen the movie and said it wasn't really 'that bad'.

Therefore, since there were more pros than cons the teens asked their father to reconsider his position on just this ONE movie and let them have permission to go see it.

The father looked at the list and thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent some time and thought on this request. He asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision.

The teens were thrilled, thinking; 'Now we've got him! Our argument is too good! Dad can't turn us down!' So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to think about their request.

The next evening the Father called his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. There on the coffee table he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat the brownies, then he would let them go to the movie. But, he explained, just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons.

The pros were:

*They were made with the finest chocolate and other good ingredients.

*They had the added special effect of yummy walnuts in them.

*The brownies were moist and fresh with wonderful chocolate frosting on top.

*He had made these fantastic brownies using an award-winning recipe.

*And best of all, the brownies had been made lovingly by the hand of their own father.

The brownies only had one con:

*He had included a little bit of a special ingredient: The brownies contained just a small amount of dog poop. But he had mixed the dough well and they probably would not even be able to taste the dog poop and he had baked it at 350 degrees so hopefully any bacteria or germs from the dog poop had probably been destroyed.

Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat the brownies which included just a 'little bit of poop' and not be affected by it, then he knew they would also be able to see the movie with 'just a little bit of smut' and not be affected.

Of course, none of the teens would eat the brownies and the smug smiles had left their faces. Now when his teenagers ask permission to do something he KNOWS THEY SHOULDN'T BE DOING the father just asks, 'Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?'